Annville-Cleona's John Groh had 19 catches from his tight end spot last year, and he'll also be one of the top blitzing defensive ends this season for the Little Dutchmen. (Mark Palczewski | For PennLive)

2014 Countdown to Kickoff

Good vibes in Annville-Cleona football camp these days, with the Little Dutchmen coming off a playoff appearance last fall.

And there are some key cogs from that bunch back in the mix, so Annville-Cleona hopes to pick up where it left off, when it won four of five games down the stretch, including a shutout victory over eventual Section 3 champ Donegal.

That one got everyone’s attention.

Can the Dutchmen keep that momentum going into a new season? They’re certainly hoping so.

OFFENSIVE OVERVIEW: Fox inherits the QB duties from multi-purpose threat Mitch Rodkey, and he’s taken some varsity snaps. Fox also throws the javelin, so he’s got a big arm, and will show it off to receivers like Groh, a 3-time all-star who had 19 catches and 5 TD grabs last fall.

Dutchmen do need a new feature back for their option sets; Brandon Light is the top returning rusher with 8 yards. Good news is that there are two o-line thumpers, Hartman and Bennett, back to open holes.

Light is also an offensive weapon; the Dutchmen’s kicker booted five field goal and 19 PATs a year ago. Hey, 3 points are better than none.

DEFENSIVE OVERVIEW: Dutchmen are in terrific shape across the front in their 4-4 with Groh and Seiple back as hard-charging bookend d-ends. Bush, a blue-chipper, also returns at d-tackle to help anchor that group.

Lehman, set to begin his 28th season, called Seiple and Groh, a blue-chipper, two of the best d-ends he’s ever coached. Dutchmen are way ahead of the curve up front. Plus, two 'backers are back: Cooper and Brandon Light know their way around the Section 3 turf.

Annville-Cleona yielded 2,000-plus yards on the ground a year ago, so that’s an area that must be cleaned up. With ¾ of the front four back, that’s an excellent start.

BIGGEST GAME: September 17 vs. Donegal. It’ll be a rematch of last year’s Week 10 beatdown, when the Dutchmen blanked the Indians 27-0. That did two things:

First, it cost Donegal an undefeated run through Section 3, but the Indians still took home the hardware. Second, and more importantly for Annville-Cleona fans, the Dutchmen locked up a spot in the District 3-AA playoffs.

This Week 4 matchup is the section opener, so someone is walking out there in first place and tons of momentum moving forward.

REINHART’S CRYSTAL BALL: Sensing some pretty good vibes in Annville, where the Dutchmen are coming off a playoff trip and return some nice talent from that squad. Plus, the whole helmet-swinging incident vs. Hamburg is behind them and they can concentrate on football — not police investigations and videotapes.

Thinking Annville-Cleona will ride that momentum into the season and have everyone’s attention from the get-go this time around. Dutchmen certainly will know where they stand early on after Week 4 vs. Donegal. After that, win or lose, they can let ‘er rip.